IOF Arrest Palestinian UNDP Employee at Erez Crossing

  At approximately 3pm on 18 February 2014, the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested Sa’eed Abu Ghazza, 41, at the Erez crossing in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Abu Ghazza was due to travel for work for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights condemns the arrest of Abu Ghazza, which represents the continued Israeli policy of trapping and coercing Palestinians at crossings who are seeking access to work, healthcare or family life.
Al Mezan’s investigations indicate that Abu Ghazza was one of five UNDP employees who went to the crossing at 1pm on the 18th of February to collect the permits issued by the Israeli security authorities.
The permits would allow them to cross Erez to pursue their work activities.
Two of the four were allowed to travel that day while two others picked up their permits but stayed in Gaza.
Abu Ghazza was asked while in Erez to stay for an interview with Israeli security.
At this point he was arrested - for reasons still unknown.
Abu Ghazza is from the town of Deir Al-balah in the middle of the Gaza Strip and is married with three children.
He has health problems in his colon.
The arrest of Abu Ghazza reflects a questionable disregard to the status of the United Nations (UN), as he is a UN staff member.
The UNDP had applied for his permit so he could tend to work duties in Jerusalem.
His detention comes in the context of Israel’s closure of the Gaza Strip that seriously restricts the movement and access of the civilian population through Erez crossing, which is also frequently used by the IOF to arrest Palestinians and coerce them.
Al Mezan condemns the arrest of Abu Ghazza and calls for his immediate release.
Israel is bound by its international obligations to ensure the welfare of the civilian population under its control and facilitate their movement.
Human rights standards, as codified in the Universal Declaration for Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, dictate that every person has a right to free movement and to protection against arbitrary detention and abuse.
Al Mezan therefore calls on the international community and the UN to take effective steps to bring to an end Israel’s violations of these obligations and to secure the due protection of Palestinian civilians.
The international community should intervene to secure the swift release of Abu Ghazza.
ENDS